Music
Johann Sebastian Punk – Confession
Having already sent Italian heads reeling with his concept album, “Phoney Music Entertainment”, Mr. Punk is preparing to send his opus to UK ears on 13th October. Showcasing his uniquely theatrical take on music as being either entertainment or a challenge to the intellectual elite, you can be assured that even the kitchen sink hasn’t escaped being thrown at this boundary-pushing piece of work.
Hailing from Sicily, self-styled dandy/gypsy hybrid Johann has developed a persona that brings to mind troubadours such as Sufjan Stevens, whilst also evoking thoughts of the pixie-ish faux naivety of early David Bowie and Syd Barrett. Mixed in with the freak Wurlitzer sound of harpsichords, Latin rhythms and, yes, flugelhorns, is the ever-present Johann, delivering his polemics in a style somewhere between and beyond Shakespeare and Adam Ant.
Designed to upset the status quo, the album uses melodic, though clashing musical styles to construct an art-rock opera where no two songs are remotely the same. Listing his influences as ranging from Frank Zappa to Jarvis Cocker and Brian Eno to Miles Davis, a second single, ‘Tragedy’, is scheduled to be released just prior to the album’s launch.
With only a smattering of session musicians, Johann has played over 20 instruments, as well as writing and producing the whole album. Johann is aiming to build on the success of his first, Italian-only release, which was nominated for “best debut” at Italy’s most prestigious music awards, The Premio Tenco. Teeming with paradoxes, contradictions, punk ethics and thrillingly chiming melodies, Johann Sebastian Punk has every right to declare himself “The Mario Balotelli of art school rock”.
SOURCE: Offical Bio
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/johannsebastianpunk
https://twitter.com/jsp_music
Nimfonia – Vicky White
Nimfonia is Zozo Debreczy (lead vocals/lead Guitar), Zsolt Janky (drums), Gabor Vermes (bass) and Krisztian Kun (Keyboard/Samplers).
They write about a large range of topics, delivered with emotive language, powerful bass, and drums, alongside hook-filled melodies.
After recording a host of demos that are slowly being released for free. With tracks: ‘Fire Rain’ and ‘Die For Me’ available on youtube and Itunes.
The band gives an intense, high-energy performance both live and in the studio, with a raw, impacting sound. Taking inspiration from both past and present pioneers in music, The Beatles, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, to name a few.
LINKS:
http://nimfonia.com
http://facebook.com/NimfoniA
http://twitter.com/nimfonia
http://youtube.com/user/NimfoniA
Ghost Station – Cast Away
Essex’s self-styled ‘smallest band in the world’ Ghost Station have released their new single ‘Cast Away’ on all download/streaming platforms. An infectious 3 minutes of beachy guitar pop, the new track showcases a knack for marrying sun-kissed harmonies to crunchy guitar sounds.
“The title was taken from the Tom Hanks film which had been on TV the night before I wrote the song, so desert island living was kind of resonating at the time,” explains Ghost Station main man and songwriter Matt Phillips. “It’s a reaction to the things that make up our daily routines – stuck on commuting trains, remembering passwords and boring bosses. I should point out that I’d be a useless companion on a desert island, as I don’t even like getting sand in my shoes on holiday!”.
Led by Phillips sublime songwriting skills (honed over almost two decades in music), Ghost Station could easily be described as a British Weezer or a 21st-century update of The La’s sunny indie-pop. Cast Away follows press acclaim for their previous singles Head For The Sun and Tear It Up, with The Sun hailing their “catchy melodies and jangly guitars” and interview coverage from Gig Slutz and Music Muso.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/officialGHSTN
https://twitter.com/GHSTN
Twister – 64 White Lies
Founded in the UK’s North East (Durham)Twister is a refined, accomplished pop/rock quartet. This young exciting high-energy band is fronted by Stevie Stoker, a charismatic singer who can work a crowd like the professional he is.
Twister’s natural ability to connect with their audience is self-evident at every concert and they are renowned for giving an amazing show at every performance.
With over 90 minutes of rock and pop anthems and a dedicated following, they easily turn heads throughout their home territories and eager to take on the challenge of stages around the rest of the UK and Europe for the ride of their lives.
So far during their time Twister have played with household names including Status Quo, Simple Minds, Texas, Scouting for Girls, Jools Holland, The Joy Formidable and are frequently the headline act in music venues such as the O2 Academies.
They also performed alongside Guns ’n’ Roses Guitarist Ron Thal (Bumblefoot) on his 2015 tour of the UK.
Working their way up through the rounds all over the UK, Twister finished in overall second place out of 12,000 acts in the Surface Festival.
On 64 White Lies, Jake says: “The song reflects a dark side that lies in all of us. Do you like the taste of your own medicine?”
LINKS:
http://officialtwister.co.uk
http://facebook.com/TwisterUK
http://twitter.com/WeAreTwister
http://OfficialTwister.tumblr.com
http://instagram.com/OfficialTwister
Darto – No Self
Darto has released the new creepy video for ‘No-Self’. Darto is Gordon De Los Santos, Gregory Flores, Candace Harter, Nicholas Merz. ‘Human Giving’ was recorded by Darto between September 2015 and January 2016 in a cabin in Cle Elum, WA and their home in Seattle. The ‘Follow Up / Hush’ 7″ was written, performed and recorded by Darto and Wand at Comp-ny in Burbank, CA in April 2017. It was engineered and recorded by Be Hussey. Both releases were mixed by Cory Hanson at Comp-ny and mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering in Ventura, CA.
“We smashed together in Los Angeles and wrote these two songs; repurposed lyrics we wrote in the studio together. A lot of people got to sing who had never sung on a record before,” says Cory Hanson of WAND. “All in all, this was a successful collaboration I think. The spirit of both bands made it onto the tape together, intact. We ate breakfast burritos the next morning, then Darto flew away. I went to go to the beach but our car died in Topanga Canyon”.
Aagoo Records is home to vinyl releases by Xiu Xiu, Lucky Dragons, The Use with Rachel Mason, Philippe Petit and more. ‘Human Giving’ can now be ordered in physical format from Aagoo Records’ website and digitally via Darto’s Bandcamp.
LINKS:
http://www.lifewithdarto.com
http://www.facebook.com/Dartowa
http://darto.bandcamp.com
http://soundcloud.com/decouth
http://dartowa.blogspot.com
Rest, Repose – Hanging By A Thread
Rest, Repose is an Alternative Rock band from Seattle, WA. Combining de-tuned, heavy guitar riffs with soaring, melodic vocals, the band’s message is one of positivity and unity. Featuring YouTubers Jared Dines (drums) and Fluff (guitar) the band put out their debut Sleep City EP in December 2015. Rounded out by Josh McDowell on bass and Tony Cappocchi on guitar, Rest, Repose look to tour the U.S and abroad in 2017 and 2018. With fresh musical blood in new singer Tanner Cowens, the band put out their debut self-titled full-length album on May 19th. Reaching #25 on the iTunes Alternative chart& #22 on Billboards Hard Rock Charts, Rest, Repose look forward to hitting the road to support the album.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
https://www.restrepose.com
https://www.facebook.com/RestRepose
https://twitter.com/RestReposeBand
https://www.instagram.com/restreposeband
Hostile Array – Herd Instinct
Maryland metalcore quintet Hostile Array, formerly known as My Ransomed Soul, have premiered their new music video for their second single “Herd Instinct”. Outspoken and message-driven about the major conflicts in the world, the new single, deals with the idea of blind patriotism and the growth of radical nationalism in the United States.
“If we lose our principles, our nation has no value,” explains vocalist Brendan Frey. “We have lost our sense of what it means to have true freedom. If you protest the system or the powers that be, people often claim that you’re ‘anti-American’. In my opinion, dissent is one of the highest forms of patriotism.”
“Herd Instinct” comes from the band’s upcoming record, set to release in 2018.
Politics and art have a long history together. Music, in particular, has been used to protest, educate, and even to propagandize. It is undeniable that its influence has helped shape society as we know it. Hailing from Frederick, Maryland, Hostile Array aims to bring their own unapologetic perspective to an increasingly divisive culture.
The group made up of Brendan Frey, Garrison Frey, Hector Fernandez, Fredy Menjivar, and Andrew Markle, released their first single, “Devoid”, in July of 2017 which focused on the tragedy of civilian casualties in the Middle East and US intervention policies. The band aims to continue the political and social dialogue with each new release. Pulling from a variety of influences such as Underoath, Norma Jean, Silent Planet, and Architects, the band delivers a diverse and unique blend of sounds, while maintaining a message that questions the status quo.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/HostileArray
https://twitter.com/HostileArray
https://www.instagram.com/HostileArray
Lover – Fallen Famous
Where dissatisfaction is bohemian and vaguely Marxist in origin, Lover is here to show you the beauty in the darkness.
With a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs – are you ready to explore a life no one thought could exist outside literature?
Lover is:
- Sarah bradbury
- Jamie moore
- Florence sabeva
- Alex villar
- Simon lacon
- Federico bianco
The bones of the band were formed towards the end of 2015, and they started on their debut album, ‘Human Geography’ in early 2016.
The album was completed just before they embarked on a mini UK tour supporting earl slick/bernard fowler’s station to station tour.
Whilst on tour the band started building a following and garnered great feedback from the public and industry insiders alike.
2017 is the year that lover decide whether you’re allowed to be part of their world or not.
About Fallen Famous:
The song came from a strong image of a run-down mansion and a group of young people wearing now tattered fancy clothes living there in faded grandeur in a post-apocalyptic world – almost playing at being the celebrities they once admired (and contributed to destroying). Like a sexier version of miss haversham and her house… the story is hard to pin down but it is something around the way we lionize and then tear down our heroes in today’s mass media culture – a micro version of how, as a race, we seem intent on destroying our home planet…
LINKS:
https://facebook.com/LoverTheBand
https://twitter.com/LoverTheBand